by Michael Pointer, USA TODAY Sports

by Michael Pointer, USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS - Lance Stephenson insisted he was so exhausted that he was willing to give hope at a triple-double, even while most of the sellout crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse was clamoring for it.

"If I would have missed that (last) shot, I would have told coach (Frank Vogel) to get me out," he said. "I was so tired."

Instead, Stephenson hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 4:43 left, earning his third triple-double of the season and spurring the Indiana Pacers to a 106-79 victory over Boston on Sunday night and sending Celtics coach Brad Stevens out a loser in his first pro game in his hometown.

Stephenson finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and looked very much like a player deserving of his first All-Star berth. No other player in the NBA has more than one triple-double this season.

"I'm happy I did it," he said. "It was in the flow of the game. My teammates helped me out. We played smart. It was easy because I know my teammates are going to knock down shots."

Stephenson did get plenty of help, most notably from Paul George, who scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. Danny Granger, playing in his just his second game after returning from a calf strain, was 4-for-5 from 3-point range and had 12 points. Roy Hibbert had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

But his teammates acknowledged afterward that Stephenson provides them an emotional lift like no one else.

"He's just starting the game off more aggressively," George said. "In practice, he's been great. We've seen it develop over time. Now, when he gets into the game, it's second nature to him."

Added veteran forward David West: "One of the biggest things for young guys in the NBA is that once you work your way into the rotation and you become a guy we rely on, that just fills you up. We give him a lot of room to go out and play his game. ... He definitely keeps us on our toes and keeps things light. He's able to just do something we'll talk about on the plane. It's just who he is."

Vogel wasn't thrilled with a couple of celebration dances Stephenson did after baskets, but didn't have much else to complain about.

"He's such a gifted passer and playmaker for us and a huge part of our team success," Vogel said.

Stevens, the former Butler coach who left the school in July to join the Celtics, got a warm ovation during pregame warmups and his team kept it close for one quarter.

But after that, the Pacers (22-5) showed why they have the Eastern Conference's best record. They outscored Boston 50-22 in the paint, got 40 points from their bench and held the Celtics to just 38.1 percent shooting (32-for-84) en route to an easy victory.

As the game ended, Stevens shook hands with Vogel, a rarity at the end of a NBA game. He also shook the hand of several Pacers players.

"It was just because we're friends and we know each other well," said Vogel, noting they also shook hands after the Pacers' 97-82 victory in Boston last month. "I came down and told him he was doing a great job with that team."